These Woods Aren't Safe For Us
by superhackaninja5
Summary: Sequel to Broken Strings. Damon succeeded in destroying Mystic Falls. But now, the second war between the Spawn has begun. Who will win;the dark...or the light? NOT DEAN/DAMON SLASH. Slightly x-over w/ Naruto too.
1. Chapter 1

Title:These Woods Aren't Safe For Us

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:Sequel to Broken Strings. The destruction of the town known as Mystic Falls was the catalyst for the second war between the children of the light..and the children of the dark. Now Damon and the other Spawn are all going to have to make a choice:the ones they love, or their brethren. When the stakes are higher than ever and the wrong decision could mean death, what will they choose?And what will they have to sacrifice in order to make it out alive?

Warnings:violence, language, slash, character deaths, drinking, mature & dark themes and canon-twisting.

Disclaimer:Don't own anything but the plot and the idea of the Spawn. Also, the title of this chapter is a song by My Chemical Romance. I thought the song fit perfectly for this chapter.

Hey look the sequel!I had some free time and I already had this chapter written, so I decided to post it before I got too busy. Plus I wanna see what people think. So here we go, the first chapter of the sequel to Broken Strings;get ready for the war.

* * *

Chapter 1:Welcome to the Black Parade

_When you open your eyes_

_All you'll see_

_Is the smoke from the fires _

_You lit last night_

_They took your brother and his girl_

_To the center of the raging inferno_

_They took the sheriff_

_Whose guns couldn't save her_

_From the livid blaze_

_They swallowed whole_

_All the nameless citizens_

_Whose lives you once protected_

_As innocence untouched_

_And blood unshed_

_It was the slaughter of your cursed hometown_

_For all its sins against you_

_The first domino in the war_

_Mystic Falls has fallen now_

~FLASHBACK~

_The town was on fire._

_ But it wasn't just any ordinary kind of fire, though;the flames were the colour of jet and they rose in billowing columns that extended all the way into the smoke-filled sky._

_ Every single one of the buildings in the town known as Mystic Falls was currently in the process of burning to the ground-even the trees in the woods surrounding it were on fire;and not a single soul knew what-or who-had started the blaze._

_ Some of the citizens, in light of the recent killing spree, had opted to stay behind and let the flames take them so they could die in their homes alongside their fallen loved ones;actually,most of them had chosen that course of action, since their families were now gone-as well as their secret protectors._

_ Screams punctuated the acrid air as the other thirty-five percent of the people who still wanted to make it out of this alive scattered in the streets, running from the fires as fast as they could in order to escape._

_But they weren't fast enough._

_ The black geysers quickly caught up to them and knocked them down as the sickeningly sweet smell of burning flesh filled the air._

_ And all the while this was happening, there were two men standing atop the cliff at the edge of the woods, watching the carnage from above with blank, insipid expressions._

END FLASHBACK~

(Damon's POV)

That was a week ago.

I had finally succeeded in obliterating my damned hometown and all of the less-than-innocent people that were left in it. But I had no ideawhat I had started by doing so.

Mystic Falls had been a sanctuary, see;an instrument for a tentative truce between two previously battling races;the children of the dark and the children of the light. And by destroying the town, I had effectively shattered that fragile peace and set off a chain of events that would only lead to one thing.

War.

Seems like such an innocent, three-letter word, doesn't it? That single syllable can't even being to describe what war truly means. Or, at least, not this war.

The battle between the two races has begun and as a child of the dark, I must fight or risk being killed in the crossfire.

It was really quite simple, actually.

Fight or die.

I chose to fight.

But little did I know that in making that choice, I would have to face off against one of the few beings left in this world with the power to kill me;

Angels.

* * *

(Normal POV)

Damon was alone in the abandoned house three miles away from the blackened wasteland once known as the town of Mystic Falls.

Or at least, he thought he was.

"Hello, Damon."

The _lamia_ whirled on his heel and found himself facing the mysterious male who had brought him back from the dead.

"You,"he stated tensely, "So at what point were you planning on telling me that my destroying Mystic Falls started a freaking war?"

The shadow didn't blink at his ill-concealed fury.

"It was on a need-to-know basis. And, besides, I thought you wanted revenge for your death proteccting that town from those Originals," "I did,"the vampire conceded, crossing his arms over his chest, "but I didn't want it to be at the cost of causing chaos across the rest of the world."

"Well, unfortunately, that was the price for your vengeance-and you have already paid it,"the cloaked figure told him dully.

"But why? Why did the town's destruction cause this to happen?"Damon asked emphatically, an uncharacteristic frown creasing his white forehead.

Obsidian locked with steel-blue and Damon had to suppress a shudder.

"You're a child of the dark-but there are also children of the light. And a thousand years ago, we were at war for control of this planet. Millions of us died and whole countries were torn apart, until finally, a truce was initiated in which your hometown was designated a sanctuary where _both_ species could find refuge. It was the first sanctuary-and the most important."

"And let me guess;now that it's been destroyed, so has the truce,"Damon finished for him, clenching his gloved hands into fists.

"I wasn't the first to break the truce, but I was the last. Our enemies can't hide anymore;they have to face their fate, just like the rest of us,"the black-eyed male declared coldly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"the taller blacknette retorted sharply, ice slivers flashing in the lack of light.

Pale lips curved into a slight smile.

"Do you want to make it out of this alive?"

The vampire nodded. "Of course,"he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

His companion's dark coals bored holes into him. "Then you're going to have to have to throw everything you ever knew out the window, except for one single mandate:kill...or be killed. Because this is where things truly become life or death,"the elder told him bluntly.

Damon shook his head.

"Who are you?"he burst out furiously, trying-and failing-to contain his frustration and confusion at all these horrible revelations he was being hit with.

"Hn,"the shadow chuckled icily as he turned to leave with a whirl of his black cloak, "You can call me Itachi. Itachi...Uchiha."

And he vanished, leaving Damon gaping at his vacated spot.

* * *

~FLASHBACK~

_It burned, blistered and tore him apart form the inside out;he was betraying everything he ever believed in for this-and yet, the ultimate irony was it felt right. After nearly three years of denying it , he had to face the truth._

_He was in love with a human._

_And not just any human, either;he was in love with Dean Winchester, the number one target on the other angels' hitlist. If that wasn't enough to make him fall..._

_Standing there, watching the hunter without his knowing, he couldn't help but admit it. He was an angel, he wasn't supposed to feel human emotions-but, whether he liked it or not, he had fallen head over heels in love with Dean and the hunter didn't even know it._

"_Cas?"_

_But, apparently, he did know that the angel was there._

_Closing his eyes briefly, the dark-haired angel materialized fully to stand visibly before the hunter he called his friend._

"_Hello, Dean."_

_The human looked back at him carefully, his light eyebrows slightly raised at his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"he asked curiously, expression guarded, but not hostile._

_Castiel shrugged._

"_Checking up on me?"Dean suggested offhandedly, trying to be flip. For lack of a better explanation, the angel nodded, "You could say that."_

_Dean let out an ill-concealed chuckle. "Come on. It's late and Sam isn't here. I know that that's not all there is to it. What's up?"he said, a worried frown creasing his tan forehead._

_The angel sighed._

"_There is something I wanted to talk to you about, but I'm not sure how you are going to react,"he stated hesitantly, fidgeting under the hunter's hazel eyes. Dean swallowed. "Try me,"he said in a hoarse tone._

_The shorter male inhaled deeply, clearly attempting to to compose himself before speaking again._

"_I do not really know how to build up to it, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Dean, I,"he paused, preparing himself for the worst. "I love you,"he whispered, doing his best to meet Dean's eyes._

_''Stunned'' didn't even begin to describe how the hunter felt when he heard those words coming out of the angel's mouth. He didn't know what to say to that;he was speechless._

"_What?"he said finally after a long silence, his voice low as he looked into Castiel's guileless rocket-blue orbs looking, like he couldn't believe his ears._

_There was another tense silence for a few moments following that question. "I-I love you,"the angel repeated, still in that quiet, tentative voice as he blinked rapidly, trying to hold back his emotions._

_Dean inclined his head grimly._

"_Yeah, that's what I thought you said,"he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably as he looked back at the angel who had done so much for him._

"_It's okay if you don't feel the same, Dean. I just...thought you should know,"Castiel told him with another sigh. He turned away, unfurling his wings, "I'll just...go now,"_

"_No, Cas, wait!"Dean all but bellowed, grabbing his wrist to stop him from leaving. He forced Castiel to turn around and look at him. "Look, I-"the hunter took a deep, slow breath to try and calm himself, "I'm just surprised, is all. I mean, why-why me? And why now?"_

"_You taught me how to be human, Dean-you taught me how to feel. We stopped the Apocalypse together and saved the world. Why wouldn't it be you?"Castiel explained flatly, shrugging his broad shoulders. "But I think I was in love with you before all that. I just couldn't admit it until now."_

_The hunter released his wrist then, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, making the dark-hair frown. "Do you...love me back?"he questioned softly, not looking at Dean's face for fear of seeing rejection there._

_He suddenly felt his chin being gripped tightly and a pair of soft lips covering his own and his mind just short-circuited. Dean...was kissing him? When he slowly began to kiss back and the kiss deepened, any doubts that Dean felt the same way were erased._

_They eventually had to break apart for air, but Dean didn't move away, opting instead to lean his forehead against Castiel's and press another kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I love you, too, Cas,"Dean said against his lips._

_Castiel smiled and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He bit his lower lip. "I'm going to face Hell for this,"he mumbled regretfully._

"_We'll get through it together,"Dean promised, taking his hand and entwining their fingers. Green met blue steadily. "You're not going to go through anything alone ever again. Okay?"_

"_Okay, Dean,"the dark-haired angel consented as Dean's arm wrapped loosely around his lanky form and pulled him close, "I trust you."_

END FLASHBACK~

* * *

(Still Normal POV)

The shadow appeared at the far end of the Resurrection church's congregation room, clad in his customary black leather cloak with the cowl pulled up so it covered everything but his merciless ebony voids.

"I was beginning to think you were not going to show,"his companion said by way of a greeting, taking a step into the light as his sable wings retreated into the back of his tan trenchcoat.

The only response he received was a low, non-committal noise from the back other's throat;

"Hn."

Castiel heaved a slightly resigned sigh at the typical lack of answer;this was definitely not going to be one of his easier duties.

"You know why I called you here, Uchiha-you know that you broke the truce by engineering the fall of the Virginia sanctuary,"he declared in an authoritative tone, "The question is why? Why would you do so, even knowing the repercussions?"

"You and I both know that the truce was merely a placebo, Lux,"the ruler of the dark retorted, tone inhumanly devoid of emotion. "Twenty-three of my brethren were killed in the last month alone and they all say their killer was the same person;Raphael, the archangel-and your first lieutenant,"

His would-be nemesis' brow furrowed darkly.

"But that is impossible,"he muttered lowly, his expression contorting with obvious confusion and shock;though he sounded more as if he were trying to convince himself than the other.

"Obviously not,"Itachi countered coldly, his blank stare a sharp contrast to Castiel's blatant horror; "I do believe you have a usurper on your hands."

Castiel shook his head, clearly aghast, "But that doesn't make any sense. Raphael has always said he only ever wanted peace between the Spawn. Why would he lie about something like that?"

"Evidently, he didn't want you to suspect him when my brethren started turning up dead-but we all know that there is only one thing in the world that could have killed them. And that is a child of the light,"the shadow stated flatly.

The ruler of the light continued to shake his dark head in fierce denial.

"I don't believe that;I can't. He has always been my most loyal subordinate. What could he possibly have to gain by turning against me now?"

"Judging by the time of the deaths, I'd say he's been against you for quite some time now,"Itachi told him bluntly, white features impassive.

"So what would you have me do?"the angel spread his palms in a gesture of helplessness, "I cannot kill him. With the war you started, such a drastic measure would you create anarchy."

"Well, I suggest you think of something, or his next target could very well be that Winchester you're so fond of,"the shadow said, causing Castiel's eyes to go wide.

"What?!But Dean isn't-"

"He is, actually,"Itachi cut him off swiftly, reading his mind, "He is another child of the dark-and I intend to use him to win this war."

"But you can't do that! You'll be putting him directly into the line of fire,"Castiel protested valiantly, sounding scandalized.

Itachi stared him down, unmoved. "If you don't do something about your ''subordinate'', he'll become a target either way. At least my way, he'll actually have a chance at defending himself from Raphael's wrath,"

The angel had to exercise and extreme effort not to lash out against his older companion for saying such a thing.

"Fine,"he surrendered through gritted teeth, "I will take action against Raphael. Just, don't go near Dean until after I do so. If I fail to stop him, then you can do as you wish."

Itachi inclined his dark head.

"You have my word,"he acquiesced without emotion, insipid black coals glinting enigmatically beneath his low hood.

Apparently satisfied, Castiel nodded before vanishing into the night-and Itachi did the same merely seconds later.

* * *

(Castiel's POV)

"Raphael."

The dark-skinned archangel didn't even turn when he heard my low, deceptively calm monotone of his supposed superior. He turned around and faced me with a cocky air that I really didn't like.

"Lord Castiel,"the other male greeted me coldly, all but sneering my title, "To what do I owe this, _ah_, honour?"

My cerulean eyes narrowed at his cool tone.

"We need to talk,"I announced, my tone giving absolutely nothing away, "About the truce and what it being broken is going to mean for our race."

Raphael smiled-and, for some reason, that smile gave me the peculiar sensation of ice sliding down my spine. He blurred and reappeared at my side.

"You mean about my killing all those children of the dark-or about all of your recent indiscretions?"he whispered sinisterly into my ear.

I barely had the time to be stunned at those words before something cold and steely closed around my throat unexpectedly-and then, everything dissolved into blackness.

* * *

End of chapter one. Let me know what you think. I'm already almost done chapter two so that should be up soon. I love everyone who's stuck with Broken Strings and is reading this now. Thank you all, my beloved readers.


	2. Chapter 2

Title:These Woods Aren't Safe For Us

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:don't own anything. You know the drill.

Omg I finally finished this chapter. So I got really pissed at the last couple episodes of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural cuz people are making me so fucking mad. Fucking scriptwriters of Vampire Diaries, bringing Elena and Damon together for like 2 episodes and then forcing them to break up again. I really wanted to just get a crowbar and beat the hell out of everyone. As a remedy to that, I am posting this chapter because I am still pushing for the fact that Damon and Jeremy are SO totally a couple. They make sense in the show.

Ignore my rant. Here is the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2:Love or Light?

He watched the phantasmist sleep in their bed from the far corner of the room they shared, doing his best not to wake him.

It seemed incredible that only a month ago this boy had been nothing more than a means to an end. Now not only was Jeremy a child of the dark like him, but he was also the one person who loved him for what he was and had never tried to change him.

Unbelievable how quickly feelings changed. He thought with a rueful grin.

Moving from the side of the door, Damon silently laid down on the bed next to Jeremy, removing his gloves so he could use his bare hand to brush the boy's dark hair off of his cheek.

The same moment his fingers touched the younger's face, Jeremy stirred and his eyelids slowly fluttered open.

"Are you just getting home?"he asked in a hushed tone, ebony eyes still slightly hazy with sleep as he inched closer to the vampire.

Damon exhaled slowly. "Yeah, unfortunately. Sorry I woke you,"the _lamia_ apologized softly, his hands still resting against the side of Jeremy's face and thumb now gently tracing his left cheekbone.

"You didn't entirely,"his lover shrugged, moving to pillow his head on top of Damon's chest. "So what kept you?"

"The shadow telling me the consequences of destroying Mystic Falls,"Damon told him, absently carding his fingers through the phantasmist's hair. "And finally being told what his actual name is."

"And just what is that?"the former human wondered curiously, tucking his head underneath Damon's chin.

"Itachi Uchiha,"Damon stated after a moment's pause.

Jeremy pushed himself up abruptly, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. "Itachi Uchiha,"he repeated slowly, "as in the Raven?"

"And the ruler of the dark,"the vampire added baldly without preamble, inclining his inky black head in an affirmative.

The phantasmist gradually lowered himself back down, shaking his head ruefully as he did so. "Death,"he supplied flatly, his mind reeling from that revelation.

"Mm-hm,"Damon confirmed lowly.

Jeremy sighed."That's wonderful, that is."

Damon chuckled quietly, though it was without very much humour. "We started a war, Jeremy-a war between us children of the dark and freakin' angels,"he said soberly.

"Great,"the latter commented dryly, "I bet they'll be just as much fun to deal with as Klaus and the Orginals were;maybe even more so,"He let out a second sigh. "Well, at least we're not completely defenseless like we were against them."

"True,"Damon ceded pensively, wrapping his arms around the phantasmist and pulling him closer. "But somehow, I think this battle might be even more difficult to give a happy ending to,"

"Well, we don't have to deal with that right this second. We have at least one night of peace before the shit hits the fan,"the younger said consolingly. "Try and enjoy it for me?"

Damon grasped Jeremy's chin and lifted it so he could press their lips together. "All right, Jer. I won't say another word,"he whispered against his boyfriend's lips before kissing him a second time.

* * *

(Castiel's POV)

The darkness slowly clawed its way into my subconscious as I gradually awoke;it was a thick, impenetrable, all-consuming fog that filled my brain, making it impossible to think about anything. My mind had gone utterly blank;I was speechless and helpless.

And then the archangel's sibilant, gravelly baritone came, unbidden, through the fog, reverberating within my ears and commanding my undivided attention.

"You are no longer our ruler, Castiel,"Raphael, my brother and most devoted subordinate, intoned with an awful sort of finality in his tone, "And as such, I have no problem doing this to you,"

"You should,"I retorted in as composed a voice as I could muster, stubbornly keeping my head held high above the dark, metal shock collar the archangel had clamped tightly around my neck.

Raphael let out a mirthless chuckle.

"I know your dirty little secret, Castiel-I've known for quite some time now;you are still consorting with that hunter, Dean Winchester, the one you have always been fond of,"he hissed in a frigid voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"He is the reason that your allegiances have been wavering-and why you are becoming so weak. So now you have a choice to make:either you kill him-or you renounce the children of the light and surrender your powers. For good."

"And if I refuse to make that choice?"I quipped with a hint of steel, raising my chin in defiance.

The archangel's lips curved in an unbecoming smirk.

"Then perhaps I should just make the decision for you,"he replied maliciously, pressing his hand to my forehead and forcefully holding me down.

I screamed out in pain as he ripped my angelic powers from me brutally, leaving nothing but my most mundane abilities.

"You're nothing but a disgrace now, _brother,_"Raphael whispered cruelly, speaking directly into my ear as I continued to writhe under his touch, trying in vain to suppress my agony.

When he finally halted his onslaught and pulled away, I was left convulsing in the chair he had bound me to, desperately attempting to get my breath back.

"You are no longer one of us, Castiel-so leave now, before I kill you. You are finished here,"he declared firmly, his eyes flashing as if he were daring me to contradict him.

I stumbled forward unsteadily when he freed me from my chains and fell to the floor in a graceless heap.

He was right-as much I hated to admit it, he was right about everything. I could see it in the other angel's faces;I no longer had their loyalty or their respect.

I was truly finished as the ruler of the light.

Without another word, I closed my eyes and willed myself away.

* * *

Two black-clad figures stood-no, _leaned_ against the whitewashed wall, side-by-side but in differing positions.

The taller between the two had his slack-clad legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles and his hands stuffed casually in the pockets of his leather jacket.

His partner had one hand in the front pocket of his grey jeans with the other hanging almost carelessly by his hip and his right leg bent slightly at the knee with the left slanted across the wall behind it.

A third man literally stood in front of them in worn out, faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a brown leather jacket and chinos, staring at the two.

They had appeared out of thin air, and though they looked human, he knew that they most likely weren't.

"So I'm dealing with vampires again, huh?Is that it?"he surmised in a deceptively lackluster tone, tan face empty of emotion.

"Well, at present, only _one_ vampire, actually,"the tall blacknette corrected glibly, "And another creature of the dark I'm sure you've never encountered before,"

The hazel-eyed man nodded slowly.

"And is there a particular reason why you're here?Or did you just come for an ass-whupping?"he questioned offhandedly, as if he truly didn't care about the answer.

The vampire gave him a bland smile.

"This is Jeremy-and I'm Damon. And we are here, Dean Winchester, because you are one of us."

Dean blinked.

"One of what, exactly?"he quipped suspiciously, arching a thin, golden eyebrow with obvious scepticism.

The vampire gave a tiny sigh before clarifying.

"You are a child of the dark,"he announced slowly, enunciating carefully so the other would hopefully get the message.

But apparently, Dean was a lot slower than he appeared.

"Which means...?"he prompted pointedly, uncomprehending as his other eyebrow rose to join the first in an expression of palpable confusion.

Damon rolled his frigid blue eyes expressively, looking over at Jeremy for help. His partner took the hint and elaborated patiently, "To be precise, you are an _okhotnik-_a Hunter with the power to kill anything, supernatural and otherwise."

The light-haired male frowned, brow furrowing.

"Does that mean there are children of the light or something?What the hell are you talking about?"he said harshly, baffled.

Suddenly, the vampire blurred and then he was pinning Dean to the wall by his throat, eyes blazing cold fire.

"Look, I don't have time for this. This war is going to be lost in seconds if we don't assemble all the other children of the dark we can. So whatever you don't understand takes a backseat to whether or not you're willing to fight;I know you have a score to settle with the angels, just as their leader has a score to settle with you."

Dean's eyes went wide.

"Why am I not surprised that the angels are a part of this?"he muttered in exasperation. He looked back at the blacknette. "Fine,"he surrendered, "You have my attention. Tell me what's going on."

The dark-haired _lamia_ didn't release him, but he did loosen his grip marginally.

"The angels are the strongest of the children of the light. Our kind have been at war with them for millenia and the fragile peace between us has just been shattered. So now all bets are off- and, according to a very reliable source, _you_ are at the top of their hitlist for derailing their apocalypse,"he explained bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

Dean scoffed. "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Tell me something I don't know,"he stated almost lazily waving a dismissive hand.

"Things are different this time;your powers hadn't manifested the last time you went up against them. Now that they have, the angels' powers are your only weakness,"Damon contradicted.

"So what does that mean?"

Ice met jade without blinking.

"It means you have to get stronger if you want to have a chance of surviving this-because this time, your angel friend won't be enough to pull you out of trouble."

Dean's frown deepened. "How do you know about him?"

His accompaniment grinned mischievously. "Oh, I know lots of things now, Winchester. That's one of the perks of being not as new to this as you."

The hunter scowled. "Don't screw with me, vampire. Tell me everything,"he demanded sharply, gritting his teeth.

"Come with me now and I'll do you one better-I'll show you exactly what's going down,"Damon beckoned, holding out his hand for Dean to take.

"How do I know I can trust you?"he questioned guardedly, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, disbelief etched in every inch of his light-skinned features.

Damon let out a somewhat exaggerated sigh, rolling his steel-blue orbs. "Very well. I'll tell you something that you'll have to believe;you know those psychic powers your brother has?Well, he has them because he is a child of the light."

The hunter's jaw dropped. Whatever he had been expecting to hear, it hadn't been that-and yet, he couldn't say that it wasn't true because how else would this unfamiliar vampire know anything about his younger brother?

"Well-played, vampire,"he conceded grudgingly, reluctantly uncrossing his arms.

As Dean reached out to take the _lamia_'s hand, he paused for a moment, thinking this felt a bit like making a deal with the Devil. But he had to do it-he had to know.

Without any further hesitation, he grasped the vampire's hand-and all three males disappeared.

* * *

There was the sound of flapping wings, followed by a bright flash of light and then the very angel he had been thinking of appeared in front of him, trenchcoat ragged and slightly dark features looking drawn and almost ill.

"What the hell happened to you?"Dean asked him worriedly, eyes darkening with concern.

Castiel inhaled shakily.

"Raphael knows about me and you,"he declared soberly, "And he gave me an ultimatum:I either had to join you-or kill you."

The hunter's hazel eyes flashed warily.

"And?"he quipped tensely, feeling rather uneasy as he looked back into the angel's unreadable cerulean orbs.

Blue eyes locked with green.

"I made the choice that I thought was right,"Castiel responded almost mechanically, bracing a vaguely trembling hand on the wall as if to keep himself from losing his balance.

"Cas?"Dean said hesitantly, advancing tentatively toward his companion, unsure if Castiel was here because he needed shelter-or because he was going to kill him.

The angel fell forward haphazardly into Dean's arms and when he caught him, the former human heard him let out a rueful laugh.

"It seems once again I must give up everything, including my family, for you, Dean,"he whispered bitterly, his lips next to the hunter's ear. "Only this time, I won't be getting it all back."

Dean instinctively tightened his grip on his angel's shoulders as the full impact of those words hit him like a punch in the gut:Castiel had had to up his brethren for him. Again.

"I'm so sorry, Cas,"he apologized softly, knowing that it was a woefully inadequate thing to say, given the circumstances; "If you want to kill me, I'll understand."

Castiel gave an ironic chuckle.

"You don't have to worry about that, Dean,"he replied darkly, resting his chin on Dean's shoulder. "I couldn't kill you now, even if I wanted to;Raphael took away all of my powers except for the most mundane ones."

"I'll help you get them back,"his boyfriend promised firmly, kissing his stubbled cheek and repositioning his arms so he was hugging Castiel instead of merely trying to keep him upright. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it."

The angel heaved a reluctant breath.

"The only thing I can think of that is even a possibility of getting the full extent of my powers back is...well, I can't exactly describe it, but I sense something, in a church just outside of Atlanta."

"Then we'll go there and check it out,"Dean told him in a tone that left no room for argument. "You know I'd do anything for you, Cas-especially after all the things you've done for me."

"Thank you, Dean,"Castiel mumbled lowly, voice slightly muffled as he buried his face in the crook of the hunter's neck.

"Don't mention it,"the latter dismissed his thanks, bottom lip catching in his teeth as he tugged the angel closer, doing his best to comfort him.

* * *

(Dean's POV)

Hours later, when Cas had fallen asleep, which was rather unusual in itself, I left him in my bed and went into the hotel room's kitchenette, pouring myself a drink.

This was turning out to be one hell of a day;the dominoes were all coming tumbling down and there was nothing I could do to stop them. First finding out that I was a child of the dark and that the two people I love the most were meant to be my mortal enemies, and now this? I didn't know how things could possibly get any more disastrous.

As usual, Karma just had to put her two cents in.

The darkness resulting from the room's lack of light began to writhe around me, appearing to gain substance-and then, it coalesced into the shape of a man.

He wasn't like any other man I had ever seen before, though;dressed entirely in black with similarly coloured long, straight hair and conversely snow-white skin, he managed to cut a pretty intimidating figure, even being shorter than me by about three inches.

"Who are you and what do you want?"I shot at the sudden arrival sharply, narrowing my eyes defensively at him.

He lifted his dark head, eyelids lifting to reveal pupilless eyes that were the colour of pitch and reminded me inescapably of dark tunnels.

"You can call me Itachi Uchiha-and I am the ruler of the dark,"the other declared flatly, speaking in a low, almost velvet-like baritone that sent chills running down my spine.

I did my best to retain a calm facade when I recognized that name. "Oh yeah, Damon told me about you. You were also the Raven, right?And you knew all this was going to happen?"I queried in as composed a tone as I could manage,

The shadow inclined his head in an affirmative.

"Mind telling me how it did?Salvatore and his phantasmist boyfriend weren't exactly specific on the finer details."

Itachi stared me straight in the eyes, then, and I had to force myself not to look away while those inhumanly emotionless dark voids bored holes in me.

"Very well,"he consented after what felt like the longest fifteen seconds of my life.

"The destruction of the town known as Mystic Falls was the catalyst for all of this-and the _lamia_ known as Damon Salvatore was the one to destroy it in exchange for his return from the land of the dead and his activating of his powers as a child of the dark."

"And how is _you_ know all of this, Uchiha?"I quipped skeptically, face contorted in an expression of undisguised suspicion.

Itachi continued to meet my hazel eyes without flinching.

"Because I was the one who brought Damon back to life."

I blinked slowly, not mollified in the slightest. "Why the hell would you do that? Did you _want _to start another war between the Spawn or something?"

"As a matter of face, that was exactly what I wanted,"the blacknette stated in a dull, coldly unemotional tone.

"The so-called peace we've been living in for the last thousand years was a sham. We were dying off and I was the only one doing something to retaliate;becoming the Raven was useful, but it wasn't enough. Mystic Falls was one of the sanctuaries for both Spawn, and now that it has been destroyed, neither of us have anywhere left to hide."

"But now Cas is being considered a traitor to the light for being with me and I might have to lose my brother because he's one of _them,_"I argued angrily, frustration creasing my tan forehead.

My shorter companion didn't even bat an eyelid.

"I gave up my brother and my cousin millenia ago for this war-and they were the only family I had left,"Itachi said dully, "Sooner or later, we're all going to have to make sacrifices if we want to stay alive,"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"I snapped in an acid tone, crossing my arms over the width of my chest as a muscle in my jaw began to twitch.

"If we want to win this war, we're all going to have to make a decision:our brethren or the people we love."

"And if we can't make that decision?"I challenged fiercely, heart thudding loudly in my ears;I wasn't sure I really wanted to know the answer.

Itachi tossed me a black pistol from inside his cloak, which I caught with a bemused look.

"If you can't choose, then you might as well put a bullet in your head now, because there is no way you're going to survive this fight,"he said baldly without any pretense.

Then, he paused, cocking his head to the side as if listening to something only he could hear.

"As it happens, you're not going to be the one who has to make that choice after all,"he corrected himself, using his powers to take the pistol back from me.

I raised an eyebrow. "And just what do you mean by that?"I quipped, but before I could get an answer, he melted back into the darkness, as if he had never been there at all.

I finished off my drink, returning to Cas but still wondering exactly what the shadow had meant by I wasn't the one who was going to have to make the choice after all.

I, unfortunately, was about to find out.

* * *

(Sam's POV)

The angels appeared out of nowhere, like wraiths from the shadows of the night , surrounding us instantly.

"What the hell do you want?"Dean snarled predictably, baring his teeth at the newcomers and closing a hand around the angel blade sheathed in his belt.

Their new leader, Raphael, was the one to respond.

"Believe it or not, Winchester, I mean you no harm this night," His cold black eyes fell on me, unblinking. "I wish to speak with your brother."

I stared.

"Yeah?And why is that?"I shot back suspiciously, clenching my shaking fist in the pocket of my jacket. I knew Dean was probably just as wary of the archangel's motives as I was.

He didn't waste any time with stories or floweriness;he just laid it all out in a blunt, heartless tone that just commanded total attention.

"We were wrong about you, Samuel Winchester. The demon blood brought something in you that even our prophets could never have foreseen:you are one of us."

I frowned, completely nonplussed. "Uhhhhh...no. Last time I checked, I wasn't some dickhead angel,"I said.

Raphael shook his balding head like he was a teacher dealing with a particularly slow child. "Not an angel,"he clarified, pausing briefly before uttering five words that I definitely didn't want to hear: "A child of the light."

My jaw literally dropped.

When the _lamia_, Damon Salvatore had come to Dean and told him about the war of the Spawn and that he was a child of the dark, Dean had explained it all to me almost immediately after. He'd also told me about him and Cas-that part I hadn't been all that surprised to hear. But he had left out that crucial bit of information.

After hearing what Raphael had done to Castiel-who I considered a second brother, I wanted almost no part of this war. So this was the last thing I had expected. Yet, for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to outright deny it.

"What do you mean? I was _Lucifer_'s vessel-how can I be a child of the light?"I enquired sharply, scepticism heavily lacing my words.

The dark-skinned archangel shrugged stiffly.

"We were as stunned as you are. But there is no mistake;you are a child of the light-a psychic, to be precise. And now you have a choice to make:accept it and fight on our side-or be killed alongside your brother and our ruler."

The choice should have been a no-brainer. I mean, these assholes had ruined my life and tried to kill, not only me, but everyone I loved, too. There was absolutely no reason why I should fight on their side. So why didn't I want to refuse?

"Sammy."

Dean's voice broke into my thoughts, uttering my hated nickname and drawing my focus to him. I could see that familiar wounded, tortured look in his hazel eyes-the same one he'd had when he'd told me that our father had said he might have to kill me;that look that said he was terrified I would make the wrong choice again, but he didn't know what to do to stop me.

"Sam, don't do it, please,"he whispered pleadingly, worrying his bottom lip compulsively between his twin rows of teeth. _Why the hell aren't you giving these bastards a piece of your mind?Why aren't you saying no?!_my mind was silently raging at me.

But, in the darkest part of my heart, I knew why I couldn't just refuse. Because, deep down, there was the selfish side of me that knew there would be no denying this, my destiny. Not this time.

My response to that was one that I knew I would regret for the rest of my life, though, at the time it seemed right.

"You win, Raphael,"I surrendered dully, taking a step towards him.

My brother's hand shot out abruptly, then, closing around my wrist and preventing me from going any further.

"Sam-"he started lowly, but I shook my head, cutting him off. "I'm sorry, Dean, but this is something I have to do."

I wrenched my wrist out of his grip forcefully and crossed the room to stand at the taller, dark-skinned male's side. "Goodbye, brother."

The last thing I saw before we disappeared was Dean's slack, horrified face, and a single tear escaping from the corner of his right eyes.

I had left him.

Again.

And he was probably going to have to put himself between me and the end of the world.

Again.

Talk about history repeating itself, huh?

* * *

End of chapter 2. Definitely a way more Supernatural centered one, but don't worry the two will come together more soon. R&R?


	3. Chapter 3

Title:These Woods Aren't Safe For Us

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:I still don't own and as of Thursday, January 31, I am no longer a Vampire Diaries season 4 fan. The most recent episode ruined my life.

Well, the only reason this story took so long was because I had exams to study for so I didn't have time to type a long chapter. I actually finished writing this several weeks ago. On the bright side exams are over and I never have to take Math again! So happy!

* * *

Chapter 3:Angel of the Dark

(Sam's POV)

"With everything that's about to happen, all the horrible truths that are about to come to light, I need to know that you're strong enough to make it through this-and that you won't turn against us at the last seconds."

I shifted. "What makes you think I'd ever do such a thing?"

My false bravado didn't fool the ruler of the light, though. "Experience. And, whatever made you decide to join with us now, I need to know that that that won't be just magically obliviated the next time you see your brother."

I grimaced, knowing the other was right to have concerns. The last time I gave into their plan for me, Dean was able to talk me down. I wasn't going to let him get to me. Our dependency on each other had reached a peak;I had to put an end to it now before it got any more out of control.

So that was why I was here now-why I had chosen to go with Raphael, even though every part of my mind had screamed out in protest at the time. I was going against every instinct, every bit of sense in my body-and, to be quite honest, my reasons for doing so were rather transparent. But it didn't matter-there would be no going back now.

"You won't have to worry about that;he and I are finished, for good this time. I won't hesitate to kill him the next time I see him-" "No,"Raphael cut me off. "I don't want him dead;at least, not yet. He still has a part to play-and I want to find out exactly what that is."

I inclined my head. "So what would you have me do, then if and when we cross paths again?"I questioned curiously.

Raphael fell silent for a moment, as if contemplating his options. "Bring him to me,"he decided at last. "I need him here to find out exactly what made his bloodline so special that Michael would choose him as a vessel."

"As you wish,"I consented emotionlessly, setting my jaw so the archangel wouldn't see that, inside, I was reeling and striving to suppress the wave of protectiveness that rushed through me at his words.

The dark-skinned male narrowed his cold, merciless eyes at me, almost as if he were assessing my worth.

"Don't make me regret leaving you alive, _Sam_, because it will be the last thing you ever do. That is a promise."

* * *

(Normal POV)

After Sam had left and Dean had tried-and failed-to locate Castiel, he didn't know what to do. So he did what he always did when he wanted to bury his feelings:he drank.

He was in the middle of pouring his third glass of whiskey when a familiar dark figure materialized in the far corner of his hotel room.

"Let me guess:your younger brother abandoned you again."

Dean didn't even bother to deny it. He just shook his head regretfully. "What do you care? We're not friends;we just met a few days ago,"he scowled, tossing back his drink and then setting it down with a lot more force than necessary.

The black-haired vampire's sharp, icy gaze stayed fixed, unblinking, on him as he sauntered nearer until the two of them were mere centimeters apart.

"True, but I do know a thing or two about unreliable brothers,"Damon told the Hunter truthfully. "Difference between you and I is I had the guts to kill my brother before he had the chance to betray me a second time."

Dean let out a rueful chuckle.

"Yeah, well, as much I wanted to kill the son of a bitch every time he turned his back on me, Sam was all I had left in this world after our parents died." He sighed heavily, "But all those times before, I had faith that if I just talked to him, he would come back. Now I'm not sure if I'll ever see my brother again."

His companion blurred, coming to stand right in front of him, deliberately invading his personal space and forcing Dean to meet his frigid blue orbs.

"Don't you dare let this cripple you, Winchester,"he intoned lowly, words perfectly audible despite the reduced volume. Damon paused briefly before continuing in that same dangerously soft tone. "I'm no stranger to heartbreak, trust me;but if there's anything I've learned in all the years I've been around, it's that whatever negative emotions you feel, the emptiness that seems to be burning a hole inside of you, you have to use it. Instead of trying to drown it away, let it make you stronger. It can only do you good."

The Hunter frowned in disbelief at that impassioned speech. "I though vampires couldn't feel human emotions. You're dead;how can you still experience what the living do?"he questioned with obvious scepticism, raising one of his light brown eyebrows.

"I'm not like any vampire you've ever met before, Dean,"Damon replied with barest trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his pale mouth. "We have a switch:humanity on or off. Mine's been broken a few times too many. I'd hate to see the same thing happen to you."

Dean's other eyebrow cocked up to join the first. "That's new."

Damon snorted. "You don't know the half of it,"he mumbled more to himself than to Dean. He motioned for the Hunter to get up. "Come on. There are less self-destructive ways of dealing with this and I'd much rather you put them into practice. I need you sober to win this war,"he said half-jokingly.

The former human stared hard at him, as if trying to figure him out. "Why do you care so much about all this, anyways?"

The elder child of the dark halted, inhaling deeply before responding. "Jeremy,"he declared soberly, lips twitching slightly when he thought of the phantasmist. "When I destroyed the Virginia sanctuary, Mystic Falls-his home, he rapidly became the most important person in the world to me. Now keeping him alive is the one reason why I will do anything to win this war."

He cast a look over his shoulder, catching sight of Dean's faintly bemused expression. "Surely you have someone in this world, other than your brother, who you would do anything to save?"

The question caught Dean off-guard. His bottom lip caught between his teeth as he considered it;and his mind immediately conjured an image of sharp sapphire eyes and a tan trenchcoat.

Cas.

"Yes,"he agreed finally, uttering the word in a steely tone, "Yes, I do." Damon inclined his head. "Then you know exactly what I'm talking about-and why there's no way in Hell I'm giving up without a fight."

Dean nodded slowly, getting to his feet so that he was face-to-face with the dark-haired _lamia._"I understand. I'm just not too sure what you think _I_ can do about it."

"Well, first things first,"Damon stated, "I think it's time all of us children of the dark finally got to know each other. I'm going to go get Jeremy and then there are two more of us that you ought to meet."Steel met hazel briefly. "Are you ready for that?"

Dean set his jaw. "As I'll ever be,"he shrugged.

Damon smiled, seeming to accept that. "Good. Then say goodbye to your old life because you are never getting it back. Once you walk out this door, once we all come together, the angels will know exactly who their enemies are."

"That doesn't make a difference. Those dicks have known that I was their enemy from the start. Being a child of the dark just means that I'm no longer going to be hopelessly outmatched when it comes to fighting them,"the brunette dismissed Damon's comment as if it were a throwaway matter of no real importance.

"Well, then I think it's time we show them what they're dealing with,"Damon grinned mischievously, grabbing Dean's arm and transporting them both out of the dreary hotel room.

* * *

(Damon's POV)

I knocked on the door of the house I'd sent Alaric and Katherine to with Jeremy and Dean Winchester at my side. The door swung inward after my third knock and I found the shykari standing in the hallway behind it, pointing a gun at the threshold.

I held up my hands in a defensive gesture. "Whoa there, Ric. Cool it, it's us,"I said reassuringly, stepping inside with both my palms still raised.

"Who else is with you?Besides Jeremy?"Alaric shot back suspiciously, lowering the gun a fraction, but stopping short of dropping it entirely, directing at the unfamiliar face.

"Dean Winchester-he's one of us,"I explained truthfully, dropping my defensive stance and coiling my arm loosely around Jeremy's waist. "A hunter, to be more specific."

At the word "Hunter", Alaric finally lowered his gun completely, stowing it back in the leather holster strapped to his hip. "So everything went according to plan, then?"he quipped expectantly.

I shared a brief look with my boyfriend before replying. "Well,"I started, weighing my words, "With destroying Mystic Falls, yes. But there is one thing that I definitely didn't factor in." I paused, then I stated flatly, "We started a war, Ric. And I don't mean like the quiet one we had with the Originals. I mean like a real-life, bloody, kill-or-be-killed one."

"How did I not see that one coming?"Katherine's high-cultured accent interrupted the momentary silence as the female vampire sauntered into the main room, heels clicking on the tiled floor. "I knew we weren't going to be able to get away with getting rid of that town Scot-free. Although I definitely wasn't expecting it to start a war." She looked over at me. "So tell us;who did we start a war between?"

"Us children of the dark and our polar opposites, the children of the light,"I explained succinctly, resting my chin on Jeremy's shoulder. "That's why it took me a couple of days to get you two. I was trying to process all of this and bring Winchester on board, too. Also, I was coming to grips with who the ruler of the dark was."

"And who exactly that would be?"Katherine enquired sharply, raising a single thin, immaculate eyebrow.

"That would be me, Madam Petrova."

The lights in the room flickered out and the five of us turned swiftly around just in time to see the owner of that low, sepulchral voice materialize against the far wall, swathed from head to foot in that familiar obsidian cloak and with his hood pulled over his eyes.

"You."

The female _lamia_ broke the silence after a few stifling moments, coming to stand on my other side with all of her attention focused on the new arrival. "I don't suppose you'd actually bother telling us your name this time?"

Itachi just barely jerked his chin toward Dean and I. "They have already been allowed that privilege, but sure why not?"He raised his hood so his twin dark coals were minimally visible. "Itachi Uchiha."

My best friend cocked one of his sand-coloured eyebrows, expression blatantly incredulous. "As in the Raven, the most wanted contract killer in the country?"

The shadow tilted his hooded head downwards in an affirmative. "Pleasure, I'm sure. Though, at the moment, there are more pressing things to discuss than my identity."

"Such as?"I interjected promptly, sliding my free hand into the pocket of my leather jacket. I didn't blink when those pupilless black voids fell on me, staring back determinedly.

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"What do you think is going to happen now that we are all together and we all know who one another are and what we stand to lose? The children of the light will be coming-for _all_ of us. So every one of you needs to decide now:are you in this until the end, or not?"

I exhaled heavily, clenching my teeth. Well, that was laying it all out without any form of pretence;but luckily, I already knew what my decision was going to be. It was the only way I was going to make it out of this alive.

"I'm in this, for better or for worse,"I announced bluntly.

Jeremy looked at me, startled by my sudden pronouncement. Then, after a moment, I could see understood and he followed suit, "I am as well."

It didn't take long for Alaric and Katherine to agree after that, so then it was down to the older Winchester. Now I didn't really know this guy from Adam, but I knew that his brother was a child of the light who had just left him to fight on their side-and that they didn't have a good history with the angels, so that had to sting. This was going to be somewhat of a turning point for him.

The Hunter heaved a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for an instant before speaking.

"I am, too."

Itachi's stare remained on him, though, even when he went on to address all of us again. "That wil suffice for now;but that isn't all. You, all of you, are about to be tested in the most brutal of ways. Soon, we are all going to have to decide between our heads-and our hearts."

I frowned at that statement. "And if we make the wrong choice?"

Once again, the dark ruler continued to bore holes into Dean's green eyes while he answered my question in a rather ominous tone.

"Then no matter how strong you are, or how good your intentions, you will end up lying dead on the floor."

That was the real beginning;the instant I full realized the stakes of this war.

It wasn't a game anymore;it was life or death.

* * *

"_You told me that Raphael found out about us. How?"_

_Castiel gave him a grim look._

"_It was Sam, Dean;it was always Sam. Ever since he said yes to Lucifer, he's been letting them use him in exchange for them keeping him out of Hell."_

(Dean's POV)

The truth was wearing on me now more than ever. My brother, who I once went to Hell and sacrificed my very soul for, had betrayed me once again. And this time, it was even worse because he chose the freaking _angels_ over me, his family. The wounds were still so raw, even after nearly a week.

I, needless to say, was devastated.

"Dean?"

I let out a deep breath at hearing that deep, slightly accented voice. "Cas,"I greeted the fallen angel in a deceptively casual tone. "What's up?"

I saw the former ruler of the light shake his head at me as he appeared at my side, seemingly exasperated. "How are you doing?"he asked quietly, brow furrowed with obvious concern.

As much as I appreciated his worrying over me, I had never been the break-down-in-tears and spill-my-feelings kind of guy, so I went for my standard defense mechanism:sarcasm.

"Oh, I'm peachy,"I quipped acerbically, "Never been better. Really."

Cas shot me a sceptical glare, but he didn't press-which was probably a smart move on his part. I was just about ready to blow a gasket at anyone who tried to make me talk about my feelings at this point.

"I thought you might like to know, I've been able to focus my search for a way to regain my powers-and I've managed to find something,"he informed me slowly, like he wasn't sure how I was going to react.

I blinked.

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"I said, "that means you might be able to reverse whatever damage Raphael did to you and get him back for it."

"It is true,"Castiel agreed, "but it is just a possibility. And also I don't really know if I truly _deserve_ to have my powers back; I mean, I gave up _everything_-everything I was, everything I was supposed to be for a human and, while you were definitely worth it, Dean, the demonizing of your brethren is not just an exaggeration. I shouldn't be helping them."

"You don't have to help us. I just want you to be happy, Cas,"I told him honestly, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards me. "And I think that means you _need_ your powers back, because without them, you're just not _you,"_

The dark-haired angel inhaled deeply.

"Well, for all of the proclivities of the dark, I am starting to see that my brethren have always been the true evil,"he confessed somberly, hands retreating into the pockets of his slightly tattered trenchcoat.

"Killing so many of your kind was never supposed to be the way to handle things, especially after the truce was put into place. Raphael betrayed his own kind and is an advocate for genocide-and so many support him in that regard that the light have been corrupt,"

I squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry. You know if there was anything I could do to put things right, I would do it,"I told him regretfully. He nodded a second time. "I know, Dean,"he said, "but I fear it's too late for that now. This war must end-and one way or another, it will. I just pray that we both survive." "Or we die together,"I added firmly.

I paused before inquiring, "So where is this thing that might help you regain your powers?" "The Rsurrection Anglican Church,"the former Lux angel responded, "and I'm headed there now. I just thought you would be interested to know beforehand."

"I'm coming with you,"I stated flatly in a no-nonsense tone; "There's no way you're doing this on your own."

Castiel looked at me silently for a full minute before consenting. "I'd like that, Dean. Thank you,"he inclined his head in gratitude.

I took his hand and he flew the two of us out of the house we now shared.

* * *

~FLASHBACK~

_He appeared in the aisle between pews, orange flames flaring to life around them and throwing ivory features into sharp relief._

"_This is hallowed ground, Uchiha-your kind are not meant to enter here,"Castiel stood, rocket-blue eyes flashing almost white with barefaced disapproval._

_Itachi didn't even blink at the underlying menace and hostility those words contained. "Well, I simply thought that this would be a fitting place for your undoing, _Novak_,"he shot back silkily, not missing a beat as he swiftly closed the distance between them._

_He vanished and then was suddenly directly in front of the other, pale face giving away absolutely nothing. "I've held my tongue and refrained from interfering for long enough,"he whispered, shaking his dark head. "But no more."_

"_What are you-"Castiel didn't even have time to get the full question out before he felt a blast of the shadow's power hit him square in the chest. He felt the darkness strike his heart and he let out a sharp gasp of pure agony._

_Staring into those empty, soulless black pits, the Lux angel collapsed to his knees, breathing hard as i he had just run a marathon._

_His enemy stepped out of the shadows, cloak billowing around him like a shroud of darkness as his black, black aura pulsated, coalescing into a solid obsidian wall that pressed down on Castiel's shoulders._

_He knelt in front of the ruler of the light, lifting his chin so the angel was forced to look into his eyes._

_Archaic words slipped form his bloodless lips, each one like an iron rod cleaving through Castiel's grace and ripping a little bit more of it from him. He recognized the incantation;it was a millenia-old binding curse-one that he'd thought no one had any knowledge of anymore._

_Obviously, he had been wrong._

_When the last rite had left the shadow's mouth, he tightened his grip on the angel's chin, midnight eyes narrowing into pinpricks._

"_You will not remember any of this. Not the binding, not our fight here. Not until it's time,"Itachi intoned compellingly, pushing his way into the angel's subconscious and removing the memories completely. "Not until it's time,"Castiel repeated mechanically, sapphire eyes hazy with magic._

_Apparently satisfied, the dark ruler got to his feet, releasing Castiel's chin and brushing off the front of his black pants._

"_You'll thank me for this later, angel. You're going to need those powers at a later date to defeat an evil much worse than me,"Itachi said lowly, a knowing gleam in his insipid dark coals._

_He cast one final look at his polar opposite before vanishing the both of them from the church halls in a blur of charcoal smoke and shadows._

_After they were gone, the candles lining the walls all blew out-and the black stone cross on the floor rose into the rafters, shining eerily in the absence of light._

~END FLASHBACK~

* * *

(Normal POV)

The black cross dangled from the rafters by its iron chain like some sort of macabre ceiling ornament, swinging from side-to-side in an almost hypnotic manner.

"This used to be a holy place,"the priest declared darkly, olive eyes glistening with unshed tears, "But now it has become a place of war-and death. This war between the two species of Spawn has gone too far and it has cursed this sacred ground to know nothing but bloodshed until it is over."

"I am sorry, Father,"Castiel bowed his head in an apologetic manner, "But it cannot be helped. I gave up everything to put an end to this, but it still wasn't enough. There cannot be peace between the light and the dark-not anymore. It is impossible. One side has to defeat the other, or else the entire world is going to be destroyed in the crossfire."

Father McKaelis(haha Michaelis)let out a resigned sigh.

"What would you have me do, then?"

The angel's sapphire orbs flicked towards the ceiling. "You could start by telling me what the significance of that cross up there is,"he pointed out.

The priest looked up, inhaling deeply through his nose before beginning to explain.

"It is-or rather, it _was_ the medallion of the twice-cursed ruler of the light,"he said truthfully, "The way the story goes, he took it off before he was cursed so the first time so that its power would remain intact. The second it hit the floor, it rose into the ceiling of its own accord and it's been up there ever since."

"Does the story say what would happen if he were ever to put it on again?"Castiel asked seriously, left hand clenching in the pocket of his trenchcoat.

Father McKaelis blinked, looking taken aback by the unexpected question.

"Well,"he began hesitantly, "I suppose if he put it on again, the full might of his powers would return and his curse would most likely be broken."

The fallen angel smiled.

"That is exactly what I wanted to hear."

He waved his right hand and tendrils of iridescent white light exploded from his fingertips, winding themselves around the obsidian cross hanging from the marble ceiling and tugging it into his grip.

Withdrawing his other hand from his pocket, he lifted the medallion over his head with both hands and clasped it behind his neck.

The second the cross touched his chest, ti began to glow.

Cracks appeared in the stone and it rapidly turned to palest alabaster, illuminating the lightless congregation room of the church and throwing the angel's slightly tanned features into almost frightening visibility.

The priest's mouth fell open when he looked into those fathomless crystal blue depths, which were now almost a shade of white to rival that of the medallion.

"Who are you?"he whispered in surprise, a reluctant gleam of what seemed akin to reverence in his previously dull eyes.

Sable wings burst out of Castiel's back, extending fully on either side of his short, slim form.

"I am Castiel Novak, the true ruler of the light-and tonight, this was will be taken to a whole new level,"

* * *

Ooooh, the end of that chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Title:These Woods Aren't Safe For Us

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:I don't own and yeah, my brief stint of not being a TVD fan is over. I like it now because Elena is awesome without her humanity. If you haven't seen the new episode you should totally watch it!

So ya know this chapter took a really long time to get all out. And now that it's over, I think I really like it,

* * *

Chapter 4:Xanthine

(Damon's POV)

We stood in the sitting room of the house outside of the place where Mystic Falls used to be ;we being myself, Jeremy, Alaric and Katherine. Well, I say "stood", but Jeremy and I were sitting on the black couch, Alaric was in the leather armchair and Katherine was leaning over the back of the couch.

"So what happens now?"Katherine queried, folding her arms in front of her. "Because so far, I'm not seeing a whole lot of ''war'' going on." "I'm sorry, would you rather have the children of the light here trying to kill us where we stand?"I snarked acidly.

The female _lamia _rolled her now aquamarine eyes expressively. "No, I'm just wondering whether Uchiha was maybe exaggerating a bit." "The ruler of the light took Winchester's brother away from him and nearly killed his boyfriend and you're a fool if you think he's going to stop there."

"He's already made his next move."

Uchiha's low, insipid baritone cut in, causing us all to look around at the sound of his voice. He stood against the far wall, clad in the usual nondescript black cloak with the hood drawn up and his legs crossed at the ankles.

"What is that supposed to mean?"I shot at him shrewdly, arching a single brow in his direction at that statement.

His dark head swiveled around to face me. "Raphael knows who you are now and he's made his first warning:bringing back a face from your past?"he paused, "Does the name Annabelle ring a bell?"

Jeremy started beside me. "Anna?"he repeated, sounding aghast. "He brought back _Anna_ to use against us? How is that even possible?"

I reached for his hand. "Jer-" "No, Damon, don't try to calm me down,"Jeremy cut me off indignantly;he was clearly extremely worked up about this. "I want to know what the hell that asshole is thinking."

"I take it you know this woman,"Itachi observed neutrally, his lackluster tone at complete odds with the almost malevolent gleam in his obsidian voids. "She was my ex-girlfriend,"Jeremy stated, "But she died;and she was a vampire. Shouldn't that make her one of us?"

"Being a vampire doesn't automatically make you a child of the dark, and, as I'm sure you've noticed, the _lamia _aren't just regular vampires,"the dark ruler corrected without emotion, "If she was felled by a wooden stake, she wasn't one of the _lamia_;it takes a lot more than that to kill one of them."

I saw Jeremy ball his hands into fists. "Fine, but why would he bring her back to life?She can't help him. He's just playing dirty,"he growled disapprovingly. Itachi shrugged. "Raphael may be an angel, but he is not above being as underhanded and despicable as a demon. The previous ruler of the light would have never used a trick like this."

"So what do we do?"I asked flatly, "Is she a threat? Will she even be used as a war method or is she just a distraction?"

There was silence for a moment while the cloaked male appeared to contemplate that. "There has to be another reason why he chose to bring back that person, instead of anyone else. He must want to strike directly at you, Gilbert;Raphael never does anything without knowing for sure that it will gain him significant advantage,"the shadow said cryptically.

"What could possibly be the reason for him going after Jeremy?This Raphael has only just realized that he's an enemy. What could he have done to piss him off already?"I wondered in confusion, feeling utterly nonplussed as I switched my gaze to my boyfriend.

He raised his palms in a warding gesture. "Hey, don't look at me. I have no idea what I could have done to tick this guy off so badly,"he defended indignantly. :Maybe it's not something he's done;maybe it's something to do with what he is,"Alaric piped up suddenly in a thoughtful tone.

My azure eyes snapped onto him, other eyebrow rising to join the first. "You know something about this that we don't, Ric?"I asked him suspiciously, boring holes into his brown orbs.

"I'm just saying, could it be possible that there's more to Jeremy's power than being just a phantasmist?That could be why this Raphael guy is going after him specifically,"the shykari suggested carefully, shrugging his shoulders.

I frowned, turning to Itachi.

"Well?"I quipped pointedly, slightly irked by his silence, "_Is _that possible?"

The shadow didn't offer an immediate response, choosing instead to examine his steel-toed boots for a full minute before answering.

"It's a possibility;he _is _the only one of his kind, after all,"Itachi declared vaguely, "But I'm afraid I'm going yo have to get back to you on that. I think a little more investigation might be in order here."

With that elegant parting sentence, he vanished.

I snorted. "Well, that was illuminating,"I commented dryly, rolling my eyes. I nudged Jeremy, who was still looking rather scandalized. "You okay?"

He jolted like I had just electric-shocked him or something, half-jumping off of the couch. "Yeah, I'm fine. Or I'll be fine, anyways;I just need a minute,"

I nodded in understanding. I knew what he was going through and the best way to help was to let him deal with it in his own way. My mind was reeling, too;what if Jeremy was more than just a phantasmist? Would that make him just as much, or maybe even more of a target than Dean Winchester? I really didn't think I wanted to find out.

* * *

(Dean's POV)

When Castiel came out of the Resurrection church, I didn't know what to think. He was definitely different, that was obvious;but it was the changes in the specific aspects of appearance that truly put me in awe.

There were his eyes, for instance:those rocket-blue orbs seemed...brighter, somehow, like they were being backlit by some form of electricity;they also now held a faintly white-gold sheen.

The way he carried himself was different now, too;he was walking confidently, the way a true Lux angel should, like he could smite anything or anyone that dared to get in his way or question him. It didn't hurt that he was now emanating a slight pearly glow, either. Truth be told, I was rendered speechless.

He had the Archangel blade sheathed at his waist beneath his trenchcoat, which was flapping dramatically behind him even though there was now ind. All in all, he cut a pretty impressive figure;much more impressive than I could ever hope to be.

"Cas?"I called to him hesitantly, unsure of what exactly I was going to say to him if and when he responded. I shifted uneasily when his impossibly luminous gaze fell on me.

The insipid look in his eyes softened at the slight tremble in my voice. "Let's go, Dean, and I'll tell you everything,"Cas told me lowly, moving next to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded and he pressed two fingers to the center of my forehead, flying us both back to the house Salvatore had provided me with.

"So what happened?"I questioned curiously, appraising the angel in front of me. "I'm assuming you got your powers back?"He tilted his head forward in an affirmative.

"And not just the ones Raphael stole from me, either;the ones that were taken from me when Uchiha cursed me as well,"he answered truthfully, eyes flashing in the dim light. "Really?"I quipped, feeling my heart start to race at his prospect, hardly daring to believe that it was true. But when Cas nodded a second time, I knew that it was.

"Huh. That's excellent, Cas. I'm really, really happy for you,"I commented sincerely, pecking him on the lips. I pulled back, though, when he bit his bottom lip. "What's up?"

"This means that it wasn't all for nothing, Dean,"he declared in barely above a whisper, meeting my eyes without blinking. "Everything I did, everything I sacrificed and now I finally have a chance to get that bastard back and at stopping him from going anywhere near you ever again. And, most importantly, a chance at being with you forever."

I couldn't conceal my joy and gratitude at that last sentence. Even after all the Hell I had put him through, Cas still put me first. And I loved him for it.

Castiel sighed as he tucked his face into the crook of my neck.

"There's something else,"He paused briefly before saying, "You were right when you told me that if we did this, things were going to get messy, Dean;they definitely have now." "Wasn't something I _wanted _ to be right about, you know,"I mumbled ruefully, wrapping my arms loosely around the angel's waist.

I heard Cas chuckle softly at that.

"I know, Dean,"he whispered, "But you were. Things are changing;they're forming into patterns that I can't see. I don't know how this story is supposed to end anymore-and I'm terrified that one of us isn't going to make it out alive."

I rubbed his back reassuringly. "We'll get through this, Cas,"I promised soothingly, kissing his temple and letting mylips linger there for a moment. "You said it yourself:we have a chance now. And I fully intend on taking that chance. Hell, I say let's go get that son of a bitch, Raphael, right now. No one hurts someone I care about like that and gets away unscathed."

"As much as I agree with you on that count, it is, unfortunately, not that simple,"Castiel stated regretfully, gripping my leather jacket. "The war is far from over and, even with the full extent of my powers back, I'm still a child of the light. I can't kill Raphael, no matter how much I might want to."

I scowled reproachfully at the unfairness of that rule, but I knew that that was the truth. "That's total bullshit. So he can rip your life apart and steal everything from me and you can't kill him?"I shook my head disparagingly, "What kind of stupid-ass crap is that?"

The former light ruler shrugged.

"I know it's not ideal, but it's the rules-and I can't break them," he said helplessly, leaning his chin on mu whoulder. I tightened my arms around him, drawing him closer.

"Then I guess Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel gets to live to see another day,"I muttered darkly, "At least until I find a way to gank him myself for what he did to you."

Castiel raised his head and cupped my face in both of his hands, pulling it down so he could kiss me, an action I was all too happy to reciprocate. This angel meant everything to me;more than that, now that Sam was gone, he was the only one I had left.

"I love you, Dean,"he uttered the three words that had started all of this against my lips as he pointedly entwined our fingers, edging closer so that our noses were touching.

I squeezed his hand in mine and kissed him again before replying, "I love you, too, Cas. And I promise you, whatever it takes, Raphael will pay for everything he's done."

I meant those words possibly more than almost anything else I had ever said/ Raphael was going to get his-for hurting Cas and for taking Sam away from me. The game had changed now:we were no longer powerless against the angels.

Bring it on, Raphael;I was more than ready.

* * *

(Raphael's POV)

"Lord Raphael."

I raised my head to see one of the lower-ranked angels kneeling before me, clearly eager to discuss something. I waved a gloved hand at her imperiously, "What is it, Rachel?"

The female angel rose to her feet and duster herself off before stating what was on her mind. "Well, some of us here were just wondering why you chose to resurrect the phantasmist's vampire girlfriend, instead of someone more powerful?"

One of my thick eyebrows arched at her nervous tone, faintly bemused by her words. "Were you now?"I quipped in a voice of almost glacial calm. "I don't believe that that is really your place, though, now is it?"

"O-of course not, my lord!"she stuttered placatingly;she fell silent before adding tentatively, "It's just, mightn't it have been more prudent to go after the dark ruler himself? Or even Winchester?"

At that, I decided to get to my feet as well, so I loomed over my subordinate, allowing no emotion to show on my dark-skinned face.

"The psychic is taking care of capturing his brother. And as for the dark ruler, he has no weaknesses as far as I know, "I explained flatly, feeling a flash of annoyance at her persistence. "Do you know the story of the phantasmists, Rachel?"

The female angel shook her blonde head emphatically, "No, my lord. Not a whole lot is know about the phantasmists by anyone, not even us."

"That is because Jeremy Gilbert is the last of his kind,"I announced bluntly, not bothering with the pretense any longer. "As a matter of fact, he happens to be the _only _one of his kind."

I waited patiently for that information to sink in, anticipating what she would think of that particular revelation.

After nearly a full minute of silence, I heard Rachel swallow and that was when she finally spoke up again.

"I don't understand. Even if he is the only phantasmist in existence, that still doesn't explain why you chose to single him out above all of the other children of the dark,"Rachel said, forehead creasing in a frown of obvious confusion.

I allowed a rare smile to curl my lips then, ready to divulge the motive behind my plan to go after Jeremy Gilbert.

"Because the name ''Phantasmist'' is a placebo,"I stated flatly, "A smokescreen for Jeremy Gilbert's true power, which is that he is the Anti-Light, one of the only creatures in this world capable of destroying not only myself, but _all_ of the children of the light."

"Even Castiel?"Rachel queried quietly as if she hadn't really meant to say it. I shot her a stormy glare, causing her to flinch. "Castiel is no longer one of us. You would do well to put him out of your mind,"I replied without emotion.

Rachel bowed her head meekly. "Forgive me, my lord. I will do just that. I shall take my leave now. Unless you wish me to do otherwise?"

I considered for a moment sensing her hope that I would simply dismiss her without a task. I knew she didn't really relish following me;after all, she had been one of the former ruler's closest supporters. Maybe that was why I decided to crush her desire to leave without a job.

"Send in the iyax,"I ordered authoritatively. "He and I have some plans to make." Rachel bowed a second time and then departed without another word.

I sat back down at my desk after she left, lifting one of my legs over the other and awaiting the iyax's arrival.

_A weapon against the ruler of the dark, the Anti-Light and the God of the Lamia._I mentally ticked each on of them off inside my head. _I do believe I have them all._

* * *

(Normal POV)

Itachi waited until the hunter was asleep before summoning the newly empowered Lux angel to their old meeting place. "So you managed to retrieve your old powers," It wasn't a question.

His opposite nodded. "As well as my memories,"he added, "I know you were the one who cursed me all of those years ago. What I want to know is why?" "I told you:you're going to need those powers to defeat an evil much greater than me,"the dark ruler supplied crytpically, expression unreadable beneath his black hood.

"Raphael,"Castiel surmised knowingly. "But how can I defeat him, even _with_ the full extent of my powers back?I'm still a child of the light, and the spawn do not have the ability to kill their own kind."

"True,"Itachi conceded, "Which is why I decided to curse you in the first place. After stealing away a portion of your powers, I imbibed some of my own into that amulet of yours." Castiel blinked, startled by that revelation. "So, that means-" "You now possess the powers of a child of the dark;so, as soon as we assemble the rest of the correct weapons, we can wipe out our enemies once and for all."

The Lux angel fell mute, biting his bottom lip while he digested that. He was now part-dark-which meant he now had the means to make Raphael pay for everything he'd done. A frown wrinkled his tawny forehead.

"You knew all of this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Itachi didn't deny it. "One of the privileges of being Death is knowing what lies at the end of everything. You may not be able to see where this concludes, but I do-and it all comes down to you and Winchester, Castiel:when it comes down to it, will you have the guts to destroy Raphael, or will he destroy you again?"

The former light ruler raised his chin defiantly. "When it is time, I won't hesitate to kill Raphael. He must be made to answer for all of the crimes he's committed in the name of the Light,"he declared firmly, rocket-blue eyes glaring at his opposite. When the shadow didn't say anything more, he changed the subject.

"So what is the dark's next move? There are still 32 sanctuaries where the other children of the light have taken refuge while the rest of the world has been turned into a battlefield. Do you intend on obliterating them as well?"

The corners of Itachi's pale mouth twitched slightly.

"This isn't about the sanctuaries,"the shadow answered quietly, "But destroying the rest of them would be wise. The other children of the light will have nowhere to hide and it will be easier to kill them if I know where ther are." He cast a swift, searching look over at his former nemesis. "Do you have any intention of helping us?"

Castiel shrugged.

"I no longer have any ties to the light since they've banished me. As long as I still have your wors that you will help me keep Dean safe, I'll do whatever it is you want me to,"the angel acquiesced truthfully, slipping his hands into the pockets of his tan trenchcoat.

"You have my word; Winchester will come to no harm on my watch,"Death agreed. Castiel nodded his acceptance of the vow; "Then I am yours to command. I am now officially a servant of the dark." He lowered himself onto one knee, "What is it you wish of me?"

Itachi straightened himself from leaning against the wall and motioned for Castiel to get back up. "There's no need for that,"he dismissed thr submissive act, "But there is something in particular I want you to do;I want you to spy on your former brethren. Report everything back to me that you deem important news." He waited a moment for the angel to get back to his feet before continuing, "And I don't have to tell you to keep Winchester alive at all costs. Do you understand?"

"I understand completely,"his newest subordinate consented formally; "I shall get started right away." He turned to leave, but then, appearing to think of something, he stopped.

Without turning around, he cleared his throat. "Just one question:what is it to _you_ whether Dean lives or dies?"

There was a sudden rush of air and Itachi reappeared in front of him, an almost dangerous gleam in those pupilless charcoal voids of his, just barely visible beneath the hood of his cloak. When he replied, it was in an eerily emotionless tone.

"Raphael is no ordinary child of the light anymore. In absorbing your powers, as well as those of the children of the dark that he has killed, he has become stronger than even me. And, as such, it's going to take more than the fraction of dark power I have given you to end him," "What does it require, then?"Castiel wondered curiously.

A brief flicker of something crossed Itachi's ivory visage for a millisecond before it was gone again.

"Four of the most powerful beings in existence:myself, the Anti-Light, the God of the Lamia. And something that has never existed before:a hybrid of the light and dark,"he summarized in a flat, lifeless tone that belied his flashing eyes.

"I can guess who the God of the Lamia is, but do you know who the other two are?"his companion queried, his shock rendering him momentarily immobile. Itachi shook his head. "No, but I definitely intend to find out,"he said with a hint of steel, "That's why I want you watch the Light. Maybe they know something that I don't yet."

Castiel inclined his head. He had gotten his answer. "Thank you for telling me. I'll let you know what I find out,"he promised honestly before disappearing with the sound of flapping wings and a flash of white light.

"See that you do,"the dark ruler said to his now vacant spot in an undertone before following suit, leaving the marble pavilion empty once again.

* * *

~FLASHBACK~

_The prophet stood before his master, lanky form covered by a voluminous mottled green cloak. His blank eyes were open and pupilless, staring up at the dark male sitting in front of him. Here, in the center of the Kingdom of Myrkur, this was the..._being_ that he had to answer to._

"_As a prophet, I am charged with telling you the consequences of your decision to join the world of man and settle the war between the two species of spawn,"he announced in a less-than-steady voice that punctuated the silence, hiding his shaking hands in the folds of his tattered cloak, "Will you hear my words?"_

_The man sprawled on the throne gave no outward indication that he was listening, but when the prophet had finished his question, he waved a gloved hand carelessly. "Continue,"he consented without emotion._

"_The others say your plan is foolish and that it has no chance of succeeding. It is ill-advised that I should aid you with it,"the prophet tarted matter-of-factly. He was silent for a brief instant, then he added, as if as an afterthought, "They also say that I will only be assuring our mutual destruction if I help you."_

"_And what do _you_ think, _spámaður(1)?_"his superior questioned mildly, arching a thin midnight eyebrow. "What do you see of the future, should we both put our efforts into this covenant?"_

_A dark frown furrowed the prophet's brow and he hesitated, as if he didn't really want to tell the other __what he'd seen. But, under the piercing gaze of those haunted ebony voids, he didn't really have a choice._

"_This will be a dangerous road, fraught with all sorts of disaster and sacrifice,"he began in an ominous tone, "At the end of this road, there is only darkness. Should you choose to continue with your plan, you will remember not what came before, but see only what lies ahead."_

_Black cascaded out around the two cloaked figures, writhing in the air like living shadows. In the center of the obsidian palace, there was no light-as well there shouldn't be._

_The shorter of the two sat upon a coal-black throne, fashioned from stone and the bones of human victims. Ghosts and sepulchral spectres danced in his eyes as he stared down at his companion, alabaster face utterly inscrutable._

"_There is no choice,"he whispered coldly, voice like a flowing glacier. "If the Light continues to alter their purpose and their ruler continues to corrupt them, _I_ will have no options left. This is what must be done in order to stop the world from falling into their hands."_

_His companion sighed._

"_Very well,"he conceded grudgingly. He fell silent again for another brief moment before continuing, "Your human form will be waiting in the wings. You will still possess all of your powers, including immortality-but there will be a price." "There always is,"the other observed blandly._

"_In order to maintain your form and power, you must wrest the Earth from the angels's clutches and still do your duty of sending the lost souls to the netherworld. Moreover, you will be divested of all memories predating your mortal birth. Do you accept those terms?"_

_The shadow's dark coals glinted eerily as he lifted his chin in a regal manner, expression one of steely determination._

"_I accept."_

_His companion nodded. "It is done, then. You will wake tomorrow in the human body your reapers have harvested for you. I will leave you with one memory:the weapons you need to get rid of Raphael once and for all."_

_He closed his eyes for a minute and then a completely different voice issued from his black-tinged lips, rumbling like there was gravel in his throat._

"_In the kingdom where everything living comes to meet its end, the light will be swallowed by the darkness. Death will take them with the help of the Nykrayk machine, its three parts assembled at last. The Hybrid, the God of the Lamia and the Anti-Light will be the instruments for their end."_

_Silence rang out as the iyax regained his mentality, pale eyes opening once again to meet his master's impassive ebony ones._

"_Remember that, and this will be simpler than you think,"he advised helpfully, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead._

_The shadow inclined his hooded head in understanding. "I will. Now I think it's time you left. I have preparations to make before this change takes place."_

"_One more thing,"the prophet called after him as he rose to his feet and made for the ornate double doors behind his throne. The shadow stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. "The name of your human vessel, it is Itachi. Itachi Uchiha."_

~END FLASHBACK~

* * *

(Jeremy's POV)

Dean Winchester and who I assumed was the angel Castiel Novak, walked into Damon and I's house at the same time that we were in the middle of discussing the previous day.

The fallen angel wasn't at all what I had expected;for one thing, he was short-shorter than me even. For another, he was wearing a ratty tan trenchcoat over top a black suit and tie and he looked just like your average tax accountant-but there was one thing about his appearance that told me for sure that he was anything but human:his flashing pale blue eyes.

Damon gave a low whistle from beside me at the new arrivals. "Damn, if that's the true ruler of the light, I don't even want to see what the guy who overthrew him looks like,"he commented in and undertone. Then he said aloud, "I take it you're Castiel, then."

The former ruler of the light gave the barest trace of a nod. "That would be me,"the Lux angel confirmed softly, grasping Damon's hand briefly in greeting. "I've heard a lot about you,"I piped up, drawing those rocket-blue eyes onto me.

There was a brief flicker of a smile on Castiel's face. "And I you, Jeremy Gilbert. There is quite the buzz surrounding you, being the only phantasmist in existence. Do you have any idea what that means?"

I shook my head, uncomprehending. "No. So why don't you tell me?"I prompted commandingly,crossing my arms over the width of my chest and narrowing my eyes.

He cast a glance behind him to where Uchiha was now standing;I hadn't even noticed him before, he was so inconspicuous. The dark ruler inclined his head slightly before joining the conversation himself.

"At the creation of the spawn, a prophecy was formed;I, along with three other children of the dark, will have the power to finally defeat the children of the light and end this war,"the shadow declared without preamble, his tone a flat, emotionless one.

I frowned;I could see where this was going and I wasn't really sure that I liked it.

"And let me guess:I'm one of those three particular children of the dark?"I surmised dully, doing my best not to let my voice falter. I was strong enough to hear the truth about why I was being targeted above everyone else by the impostor ruler of the light.

The shadow nodded an affirmative. "It appears that Raphael has also heard this prophecy-and I expect he plans to either convince you to join him or else kill you before you have a chance to do the same to him."

I swallowed hard;whatever I had been expecting, it most certainly had not been that. I started when I felt Damon slip his hand into mine, and I looked up to see him staring back at Itachi with steel in his eyes.

"If Raphael wants anything from you, Jer, he'll have to go through me first,"my boyfriend stated firmly, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

I smiled gratefully at him;he was the reason I was stronger now. He had given me this power and shown me how to use it;he'd made me who I was today. If I was going to fight for anything, it was going to be him.

"Thanks, Damon,"I whispered before raising my voice and asking another question:"So can I hear this prophecy? And what exactly is this great power of mine?" "I think we'd all like to hear this ''prophecy'', actually,"Dean put in pointedly.

Itachi appeared supremely unaffected, as if he'd been waiting for this moment to come. He inhaled deeply before speaking in a voice completely opposite of what I had gotten used to:

"_In the kingdom where everything living comes to meet its end,_

_The light will be swallowed by the darkness._

_Death will take them _

_With the help of the Nykrayk machine, its three parts assembled at last._

_The Hybrid, the God of the Lamia and the Anti-Light will be the instruments for their end."_

Silence descended over the seven of us as the full weight of those words settled in. We didn't have long to process, though, because, a second later, Itachi decided to answer my other question.

"Your boyfriend is the God of the Lamia and you, Jeremy Gilbert, are the _Nulla Lux_-or the Anti-Light."

"And the third, the Hybrid? Who is he, or she?"I wondered suspiciously, bottom lip catching in between my teeth. "I, unfortunately, still have yet to figure that out,"the dark ruler admitted lowly, eyes flashing as if he were daring any of us to make some snide comment. None of us did, tough.

Instead, Damon decided to broach a question of his own. "So what does the rest of that mean?The kingdom where everything living comes to meet its end? Where is that?"he queried curiously, free hand sliding into the pocket of his leather jacket.

The shadow closed his eyes.

"It means that the final battle between the light and the dark will take place in place in my dominion, the kingdom of Myrkur,"he responded truthfully.

Damon seemed to consider that for a moment before speaking again after tossing a brief sideways glance at me.

"So basically, you, Jeremy and I, plus some other fourth person are going to defeat the light in your dominion and finally put an end to this war, is that right?" "That pretty much sums it up,"Itachi confirmed with finality.

* * *

(Normal POV)

It started as a faint buzzing, like an errant bee or fly hovering next to his head. Since he didn't really mind bugs, he ignored it and tried to get back to sleep.

Then it got louder and his eyes snapped open.

He sat up slowly, looking around the room to try and figure out where the noise was coming from. And his eyes landed squarely on the cloaked figure standing at the end of his bed.

All sorts of alarms went off in his head and he instantly launched forward, with drawing the .45 from underneath his pillow. "Who the hell are you?"he snarled, undoing the safety on his gun and directing the barrel at the stranger.

The latter held up a gloved hand in what was obviously supposed to be a placating gesture. "Relax, Winchester. I'm not here to hurt you,"the voice that issued out from underneath the mottled green hood was deep and slow and male.

"How do you know my name?"the hunter demanded suspiciously, hazel eyes narrowing to slits. "I know a lot about you, Dean Winchester,"the cloaked male replied enigmatically.

A frown instantly creased Dean's' forehead and he shot a cursory glance at the form still laying on his bed because how could Castiel not be awake? The angel didn't even sleep.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?Are you stalking me or something?"the hunter quipped, advancing toward the other slowly and cocking the gun in his hands.

The cloaked male shook his hooded head,

"I don't need to;I already know everything I need to know,"he paused, "Including some things that even you yourself have no knowledge of."

"Like what, for instance?"Dean challenged without thinking;the words just came out of his mouth without his volition. He instantly mentally berated himself;what was he doing? He wasn't really going to hear whatever this freak show had to say, was he?

Apparently, he was.

"Like why your brother betrayed you and why Castiel had to be the angel to drag you out of Hell. But, most importantly, I know the ending of your story, Hunter, and I know exactly how it's going to happen,"the stranger declared ominously.

Dean suddenly found himself lowering his pistol as he ran a bracing hand over his face. He couldn't be listening to this guy;he was just some crack pot creep who got off on breaking into people's rooms. Some tiny part of him didn't think that was really the truth, though;there was actually a part of him believing every word and wanting to know the rest.

He took several deep breaths before working up the courage to say, "Tell me."

The unfamiliar male stared at him long and hard and, though Dean couldn't see his eyes, it was as if he were deciding whether or not Dean deserved to hear what he had to say:or maybe whether or not he was prepared to hear it. Which was totally ridiculous because of course he did.

"It's going to be bloody, and painful, and heart-wrenching and difficult, and it's all going to come down to one thing-one choice-" "Let me guess,"Dean interrupted, "The people I love or the children of the dark, right?"

The prophet shook his head a second time. "No, more like the angel who fell for you or your true dark nature-and the world,"

* * *

Wheeee, cliffhanger. Or so I think. As you can probably tell if you've read my other stories, I have a bit of an obsession with prophecies because they're oddly fun to come up with/ Oh well. Until next time.

(1)"prophet" in Icelandic


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